Devils' Jagr becomes 7th NHL player with 700 goals

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Jaromir Jagr became the seventh player to score 700 NHL goals, reaching the mark in the second period on Saturday in the New Jersey Devils' game against the New York Islanders.

The New Jersey forward moved into this elite group when he netted his 19th goal of the season. The Islanders have been Jagr's favorite target in his 20 NHL seasons. He has 61 goals and 88 assists in 101 career games.

Jagr stickhandled from the right wing boards into the slot and then slid a shot along the ice that eluded New York goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 3:31 of the second to give New Jersey a 2-0 lead.

Jagr was surrounded by his teammates who were on the ice with him and then skated across the front of the bench, patting gloves along the way. He received a nice ovation from the crowd when his milestone was announced.

The Islanders are the only team from the old Patrick Division for which Jagr, a recent Czech Republic Olympian, has never played. This is his first season with New Jersey.

Jagr is only eight goals behind Mike Gartner, who is sixth on the NHL career list. Wayne Gretzky holds the record of 894. Jagr is seventh in career points with 1,740.

Gretzky netted his 700th goal on Long Island on Jan. 3, 1991, while with the Los Angeles Kings. Marcel Dionne, then of the New York Rangers, also reached the mark against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, hitting the milestone on Oct. 31, 1987. Dionne is fourth on the list with 731 goals.

Jagr later set up Marek Zidlicky's power-play goal that pushed the Devils ahead 4-1 in the second period. It was Jagr's 1,040th assist, tying him with Dionne for ninth place in NHL history.